Kerr was only half-joking when he said last month that he was “almost as happy with Zaza signing” as he was with Kevin Durant. At one-year, $2.9 million in a market filled with exorbitant contracts, Pachulia was a bargain.

His understated playing style seemed an ideal fit in the Warriors’ explosive starting lineup. With Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green shouldering the offensive load, Pachulia is free to focus on what he does best: set screens, pass to the perimeter and hit the occasional midrange jumper.

Three games into preseason, his learning curve has been steeper than some expected. Pachulia has shot 1-for-6 from the field with four turnovers in 41 minutes. A skilled passer, he is still deciphering when to find the open man in Golden State’s fast-paced offense. Pachulia had little answer Thursday for two-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who needed only 11 shots to score 20 points.

“It’s not difficult, it’s just different,” Pachulia said of the Warriors’ system. “The biggest change is the personnel, the players. That’s the No. 1 thing to get used to.”

2. Evaluate the substitution patterns.

Assistant coach Mike Brown, who was hired in July after Luke Walton took the Lakers’ head-coaching job, has been tasked with engineering the Warriors’ new-look rotation. Less than two weeks removed from media day, certain patterns have emerged.

Durant exits midway through the first quarter; backups Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, David West and Ian Clark round out the nine-man rotation; Pachulia plays the least of the starters. Barring injury, those trends will likely extend into the regular season.

The biggest question is whether Patrick McCaw will beat out Clark for the backup shooting guard spot. A second-round pick from UNLV, McCaw has scored 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting in preseason with six assists and six steals. But Clark, who needed only nine shots to score 16 points Thursday, has done nothing to lose his second-team job.

“We worked together off the court and a lot this summer, too,” Clark, who has shared the floor at times with McCaw, said of his relationship with the rookie. “We all want to win and make the team the best we can.”

3. Install most, if not the rest of, the offense.

The Warriors implemented two items by the time they played their preseason opener last weekend: an out-of-bounds play from the sideline, and an out-of-bounds play from underneath the basket. Two more games within a four-day span made it difficult for Kerr to introduce more sets or concepts.

Now, Golden State has a second training camp of sorts. The extended break between games gives players time to fine-tune their reads and learn more of the offense. Kerr, of course, prides himself on maintaining a limited playbook. The next seven days will be more about building chemistry than anything else.

“I have a general sense (of our identity), definitely, but you learn something new every day,” forward Draymond Green said. “You keep growing together, you get better and better, different things open up.”

This might seem an odd directive given the numbers. Through three games, Durant is averaging 18.3 points in just 23.3 minutes. He has shot 16-for-30 from the field, and his efficiency has improved each outing.

“I think he still needs to be more aggressive,” Green said Thursday after Durant scored 25 points in the Warriors’ win over the Kings.

The message was clear: Even on a team stockpiled with All-Stars, the four-time NBA scoring champion is at his best when he is looking for his shot. Getting Durant comfortable with his new reality should be one of Golden State’s top preseason objectives.

Kerr said Monday that Williams, who underwent right knee surgery late in the summer, was still a couple weeks away from basketball activities. That timeline puts him back on the court in time for the Warriors’ final two preseason games.

If not for surgery, Williams would be center JaVale McGee’s biggest competition for the 15th and final roster spot. The 6-foot-5, 183-pound shooting guard, after all, is the only player among the six training-camp invitees on a partially guaranteed contract. Last season with the Warriors’ NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz, Williams averaged 28.4 points, 5.9 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.